Just then there was a knock at the door and Dr. Lee came in with an entire team of people in white coats. Cole’s stomach felt like it was down at his feet. Why would he need an army of doctors except to tell Cole that he was a goner?
“Mr. Sullivan, I brought a few of the residents with me today. I hope that’s okay. If you prefer, they can wait out in the hall, but this is a teaching hospital. It’s part of what we do.”
Great. Cole had spent six years not wanting to share this with the woman he loved. Now he had to share it with strangers. It didn’t really matter, though. He’d already lost all sense of privacy, courtesy of the hospital gown. “Yeah. It’s fine. Just tell me how long I have so I can get out of here. No offense, but I’m not a huge fan of this place.”
Dr. Lee raised both eyebrows at Cole. “I hate to disappoint you, but you have exactly as long today as you did the day we last ran a scan. The glioma hasn’t changed. At all.”
Cole sat there for at least fifteen seconds, staring. Blinking. “Then why did I get that headache?” It had been the worst pain he’d ever endured, far more excruciating than broken ribs.
“I don’t know. Could be any number of things. Stress is the most likely. You’d said you were on an airplane when it started, so the change in altitude could’ve built up pressure.”
“So now what? More tests?”
“I’m on the fence, to be honest. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to formally admit you and monitor you until tomorrow morning.”
“What would that entail?”
“You sitting in that bed and the nurse checking on you every two hours.”
Cole threw back the covers. “How about I just call you if the headache comes back?”
Dr. Lee stepped forward and held up a hand. “Hold on a minute. Are you really that anxious to get out of here?”
Cole nearly laughed. “Yes. I am.”I’ve got a woman I need to talk to.
Dr. Lee pressed his lips into a thin line. “Okay. We will release you. Plus you have to promise me you will call me the instant you get a headache this bad again.”
Cole held up his hand. “I promise.”
“You’re still going to need to wait for the paperwork to clear. Which could take a few hours.”
Hospital bureaucracy—Cole hated it. But he did need to look on the bright side. The glioma hadn’t changed. It hadn’t grown. In six years, nothing inside his head had changed. But in less than two weeks, Dani had not only turned around his thinking, she’d gotten his heart beating again. She’d reminded him just how badly he wanted to be here. She’d shown him how good it was to be alive. Especially when you have someone to love.
“I’ll have the nurses get your paperwork going. Plan on coming to see me during clinic hours in six months or so. I’ll have them send you an appointment reminder. And call me if anything changes.”
With that, the doctor and crew left, meaning Sam and Cole were now alone.
“That’s good news, buddy,” Sam declared, rising up out of his seat. “Now you just need to get the rest of your life straightened out.”
“What exactly is that supposed to mean?”
“I asked Dani if you two were back together.”
Cole sometimes couldn’t believe his brother’s willingness to say or ask anything, but today, he was glad for it. “And what did she say?”
“She said she wasn’t sure. She said you had some things to work out.”
A heavy sigh left Cole’s lips. “I need to finish telling her everything about our breakup. What I was thinking. I need to explain myself. I hardly got it out of my mouth before they whisked me out the door.”
“Only she can say what her reaction will be, but judging by my conversation with her, I’d say she’ll definitely listen.”
“Well, that’s something.” Cole sat back, trying not to play out the conversation in his head. These things weren’t always predictable with Dani.
“I’m sensing there’s something else that’s still bothering you.”
Cole didn’t know how to bring up this subject with Sam, so he certainly wasn’t ready to do so with Dani. Maybe simply talking about it would help him sort this out a bit in his head. “I want to talk to her about her boys. Cameron and Colin.” Just saying their names made for this tug right in the center of his chest.
“What about them, exactly?”
